


Love Is Logically Illogical

by TheRubyStorm



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Childbirth, F/M, Gen, Kirk/Spock if you squint - Freeform, Mpreg, Not Slash, Sorry guys, Unplanned Pregnancy, hetero mpreg, it's all rather fluffy, mentions of stillbirth, with a sprinkle of romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-29
Updated: 2017-04-17
Packaged: 2018-08-18 14:12:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8164706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRubyStorm/pseuds/TheRubyStorm
Summary: Through a series of strange events, Spock finds himself unexpectedly pregnant after a mission gone wrong.  Deciding to carry the child to term brings changes that he never expected and brings forth a side of himself that isn't entirely unwelcome for once.





	1. The Dream

**Author's Note:**

> God, I can't even remember the last time I tried writing a multi-chapter fic... But this plot bunny popped into my head and wouldn't leave me alone even though I've got 4 other fics already in the works...
> 
> This fic is currently un-beta'ed so please forgive me for that. And unfortunately, my Star Trek knowledge is rather limited at this point (though I'm currently remedying that) so please forgive me of that as well.
> 
> For those who may be wondering, I'm not including mention of the Uhura/Spock ship so for those of you looking for this pairing, you won't find it here. No offense to those who ship it; it's just not my thing. For you Kirk/Spock fans, though I haven't written them as lovers, I really did want to keep a close relationship between the two of them so I've tried to keep to the feel like we've seen in the movies. Take that as you will... ;)
> 
> This fic also has some loose inspirations from several sources: Star Trek TNG: 'The Child', Star Trek Phase II: 'World Enough and Time' as well as from two of my first ever mpreg fics that I've decided to bring here as well which I'm glad that I'm able to use them again.
> 
> I apologize for the shortness of this chapter (The next one's much longer, I promise) But I hope you all enjoy and remember, COMMENTS ARE LOVE!!!

  _'Come on sir! We've got to hurry!'_

  _'I will not make it. My leg... You must keep going to the drop off point before the planet breaks apart."_

_She looked about the two of them, trying not to panic at the sight of the cliffs crumbling around them.  At best, she had moments to make a decision.  'I'm not leaving you behind!' She replied as she put her arm about his neck, taking on most of his weight.  'Now come on, we've got to keep moving!'_

_All around, the sounds of chaos echoed back to them.  Celeodion men calling for their wives, women screaming for their children and little children crying for their mothers for safety.  But he knew there was none to be found. According to his last calculations, they would only have minutes left to live; absolutely no chance of survival for these people.  Silently, he swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat.  They had failed in their mission, but there was no time to dwell on that.  They had to keep moving..._

_Despite the slow progress, it was only a few minutes before they reached the drop off point where the remaining four of the crew were frantically looking for the two of them, Capt. James T. Kirk among the party.  At the sight of the two, he hurried towards them, quick to help take Spock's weight on his own shoulders._

_'You just had to keep things interesting, didn't you Mr. Spock?" He joked._

_'I find it illogical that you would consider that I injured myself intentionally Captain...'_

_'Spock, for once in your life, could you not take everything I say so logically?'_

_'Captain, we only have ten seconds before the planet breaks apart!'  A panicked voice called out to him from one of the officers._

_'Chekov! Energize now!'_

_As the light enveloped the crew, Spock let out a breath of relief. Finally, they would be safe.  But as the ground shuttered beneath them, he turned back in time to see the young girl's wide eyes look at him in terror as the ground gave way beneath her feet.  He tried to reach for her, but it was already too late as she fell farther and farther to her death._

_'Elizabet!' he shouted as the girl's screams echoed back to him...  
_

* * *

With a start, Spock bolted upright in bed, breathing hard as he looked about his surroundings. He was in his own chambers on board the USS Enterprise, everything the same as he had left it the night before.   Looking down, he noticed his nightshirt clinging to his body, drenched in sweat.  Frustrated, he lay back down on the bed, throwing the covers off himself as he relished the cool air on his skin.  This was the fourth time in the past two weeks that he'd had this dream of the Celeodion mission and it was always the same thing; the last moments of the young officer who gave her life saving his...

Deep in thought of its meaning, he sat upright, only to be instantly hit with a wave of nausea as the room began to spin. 

 "No... Not again please..." he mumbled as he struggled to get out of bed toward his bathroom where he barely made it in time to empty the meager contents of his stomach into the toilet.  After a few moments, he leaned back against the wall, taking deep breaths as he tried to will his stomach back to its proper place. This was becoming far too much he thought as he ran a hand through his unkempt hair.  He had tried to treat this as best as he could manage, but after nearly three weeks of hardly being able to keep anything down, enough was finally enough.  Mentally, he made a note to be sure to see Dr. McCoy later this afternoon before staggering to his feet to prepare for his morning's duties.  

Catching sight of the clock, he cursed under his breath.  The little incident this morning had delayed him far more than he had realized and he was overdue on the bridge nearly half an hour ago.  Quickly, he dressed and freshened up, hoping no one would notice the presence of the dark circles forming under his eyes.  Leaving his quarters, he thought to get something to eat but pushed those thoughts aside and headed towards the bridge.  There was no time to stop for a meal and beside, he had no appetite as it was...

* * *

 "Mr. Spock, you're running late." Kirk said as the doors opened to the bridge. "You're never late. Is everything alright?"

 "I apologize for my tardiness Captain.  I'm afraid I simply overslept." he lied, struggling to push the dizziness away.

 "Don't worry about it." He smirked.  "We all have one of those days.  Before you came in, Mr. Sulu and I were discussing..."

 But Jim's voice was quickly lost as Spock's world began to blur, another wave of nausea coming over him as the room began to spin.   Quickly, he grabbed hold of the control panel to try to keep himself upright.

 "Spock?" Noting his First Officer's silence, he turned in time to see Spock holding the control in a death grip, his already pale skin gone absolutely white.

 "Spock! What's wrong?" Kirk nearly shouted as the two men hurried to his side in a attempt to keep him upright but Spock barely heard him as he collapsed to the floor, the darkness creeping around his eyes until everything suddenly went black.


	2. The Diagnosis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said the next chapter would be longer. :)
> 
> Hopefully I explained everything well enough...
> 
> Dr. Makeda Ryen, Officer Elizabet Weyer, and the Celeodions are all created by me. All others belong to their respective owners.
> 
> Thanks for the kudos so far! And I'm currently working on the next chapter so that will hopefully be out soon.
> 
> Enjoy! And please keep leaving kudos and comments! Definitely helps to keep my motivation going. ;)

   

The first thing he registered was that he was lying down though it wasn't on the floor of the bridge; rather it was somewhere soft.  Following that was the feeling of something cool gently pressed against his forehead, a welcome contrast to the waves of heat he had been feeling recently.  With some difficulty, he managed to open his eyes to the sight of a young woman in a medical uniform replacing the cold compress, her dark eyes smiling at him under a shock of short, dark brown hair.

 "Where am I?" He mumbled.

 You're in Sickbay." the young woman replied. "They brought you in unconscious nearly half an hour ago."

 He tried to sit up but a fresh wave of nausea brought him back down on the bed with a groan.

 "Hold on Mr. Spock.  Let me give you something for that." 

 One hypospray in his neck later, he let out a breath of relief as the nausea quickly faded away for the first time in weeks.  Finally some peace...

 "Better?" She smiled.

 "Quite." He replied.  "Who are you? Where is Dr. McCoy?"

 "Oh I'm so sorry." She quickly apologized.  "I should have introduced myself sooner.  My name is Dr. Makeda Ryen. I just joined the Enterprise crew about a month ago.  As for Dr. McCoy, he's currently taking care of another crew member at the moment. He may still be a while but with your permission, I'd like to perform a routine examination.  We've already sent a sample of your blood to be tested; I'd just like to make sure everything is working normally.  I can assure you, you're in good hands."

 "I highly doubt that McCoy would have left you on your own if you were otherwise." He said, his eyes focused on the ceiling.

 "Fair enough." she smirked at his dry tone.  

 

 The rest of the exam continued in relative silence as she asked several questions of his current symptoms and ran various tests; pressures, heart rate and the like before Nurse Chapel came in a few minutes later with a handful of papers.

"I have the results of Mr. Spock's blood work."

"Thank you Ms. Chapel." She smiled as she took the documents from her.  The smile quickly faded however as she read through the papers.

"That can't be right..." She muttered to herself.  

"Is there something wrong?"

"I-I don't know..." she replied, her brow furrowed.  Retrieving a scanner, she slowly ran the device along the full length of his body, notating various points as she went over the results a second, and then a third time.

"Mr. Spock, if you wouldn't mind, I need to seek a second opinion from Dr. McCoy.  Could you stay here for a moment?"

 

Nodding his agreement, she quickly left the room leaving Spock alone to consider the possibility of what could be wrong.  Initially, he had blamed the cause of his symptoms to nothing more than a simple virus, although this explained nothing of the recurring dreams.  But he had not missed the confusion in the young doctor's eyes as she went over his results.  For her to consider it necessary to include McCoy in her diagnosis, the situation must be more serious than initially expected and he now wished he would have come sooner.

What seemed like hours was only a few minutes as Dr. Ryen returned with not just McCoy, but the captain as well.

 

_'Oh god, I must be dying...'_

 

"Jim? Why are you here?" Spock asked, trying to calm the sudden rush of nerves.

"Bones called me in. Said I should probably be here for this."

Feeling concerned, he looked over at McCoy who was busy studying further the scans that she had taken. "Doctor, what's wrong with me? Am I dying?"

However Dr. Ryen was the one to reply. "I can assure you Mr. Spock, you're not dying.  Except for being dehydrated from the vomiting and some slight anemia, you're fine.  But there are a few more questions I need to ask you.  I'm afraid they may become rather personal..."

"Ask anything you feel you need to.  I have nothing to hide."

"Alright then.  Mr Spock, when exactly did your symptoms begin?"

 "Approximately two weeks and four days ago."

 "And you mentioned the nausea and hot flashes; has there been any fatigue or headaches as well?"

 "Mild, but yes there has."

 

By this point, Dr. McCoy had gone throughly over the scan and was now wearing the same wide-eyed expression that the young woman initially wore. Looking over at her, he nodded his agreement.

"One more question." she said, although her cheeks now bore a slight shade of pink. "Have you been...sexually active in the past two months?"

 Only now did the eyebrows raise as Spock looked over at the two doctors. "I can assure you I haven't, although I fail to see what that has to do with anything."

 "Dr. Ryen, what exactly are you implying?" Kirk asked.

 "What she's implying," Dr. McCoy finally said as he turned the scan to where they all could see. "Is this."  

 

What was on the screen, while still very small and looking more like a tadpole than anything, was already showing signs of the start of arms, legs, and a spinal cord. And all at once, the rest of the room seemed to realize what was going on.

Spock swallowed hard. "What is it?" He breathed although he finally seemed to understand what was happening.

"That Mr. Spock," Dr. McCoy said with some form of a smirk. "Is an approximately six week old embryo.  I don't know whether to offer my congratulations or my sympathies, but you're pregnant."

"It's not possible..." the Captain said, still in shock at the diagnosis.

"Jim, the evidence is right there in front of you, clear as day." McCoy replied, slightly annoyed.

"Well surely something must have happened in the last few weeks to have caused this...  Mr Spock, are you sure that you can't remember anything?"

"I dont have any logical explanation for...oh..."

"'Oh?' What is it Spock?"

"The Celeodion mission."

"But Spock, our team was only there a few hours. I was with you nearly the entire time on that mission."

"Jim, surely you didn't..."

"What? No no no, that's not what I meant!"

"Wait," Dr. Ryen spoke up.  "You've been in close contact with a Celeodion colony?"

"Yes. Almost two months ago." Kirk replied. "You're familiar with them then?"

 

She nodded.  "A little through my studies.  The Celeodions are a newly discovered species, only researched in the past 15 years or so.  They're actually a very unique species.  Despite taking on gender roles, they do not possess any specific gender.  So to reproduce, their bodies release a natural hormone during breathing that allows them to impregnate one another through touch.  In high colonies, the reactions could be nearly instantaneous.  And...there has been the extremely rare case where other species became pregnant after spending time in their vicinity through the same means."

Suddenly, Kirk didn't like where this was going.  "But there were seven of us on that mission...including Mr. Spock and myself." He said, looking pale as his hand subconsciously drifted to his stomach. "Are you saying there's a possibility that any of the rest of us could be..."

"Not necessarily. The effects of the hormone wear off soon after leaving the vicinity." She replied, holding back a smirk at the sudden obvious relief on the captain's face. "While it's possible, it would have to be through prolonged contact while there; something more than a brief handshake or a clasp on the shoulder.  I would suggest getting the other crew members in here as a precaution, but if they haven't shown any symptoms by this point, I wouldn't be too concerned.  For humans, it would have to be several minutes of physical contact.  But because Mr. Spock isn't fully human, the length of contact needed could be substantially less."

 "And the famous Vulcan biology strikes again..." McCoy muttered under his breath.

 

Ignoring him, she turned to Spock. "So I think the better question would be, did you have any physical contact with anyone while on that mission?  Was someone injured and you carried them out or did...?"

"Officer Weyer." he said, remembering the dreams from the past few days.

 "What did you say?"

 "Officer Elizabet Weyer..." he repeated. "It's hers."

 

Thinking back, Kirk seemed to vaguely recall the young officer; a new recruit on her first mission, he remembered her long black hair, almond eyes and her lovely smile.  A pretty young woman, but hardly one that he would have pictured Spock having any kind of interest in. He also remembered that she was one of two that did not come back alive from that mission...

"Can you remember what happened Mr. Spock?"

"When Celeodion began to break apart and we realized that the planet was a lost cause, our party began running to the drop off point in order for Mr. Chekov to beam us back on board the Enterprise.  I stayed toward the back of the group to make sure none of our party was left behind but in the process, I managed to take a large fall."

Kirk remembered that.  Spock had spent the next two weeks in his quarters with a badly sprained ankle.

"It had only been a few moments before Ms. Weyer came back for me." Spock continued. "And when she realized I couldn't run, she put my arm about her shoulder and helped me get back to the drop off point.  Maybe around three minutes?"

"That would account for the prolonged physical contact." Makeda nodded. "Is it possible that we could contact her and bring her in for this discussion?"

 When Spock didn't respond, Kirk was the one to speak up. "Everything started collapsing as Chekov began to beam us up. The ground opened up beneath her and she fell before he could get ahold of her signature."

 "I'm so sorry..."

  

After a moment of silence, McCoy was the first one to speak. "So the question is what to do now?"

"What do you mean?" Kirk asked.

 "He's in a delicate condition Jim. He can't possibly stay onboard the Enterprise. Besides, we don't know what this will do to him.  A male Vulcan pregnancy has never been documented before. I don't want to say it but..."

 "Bones, are you actually suggesting he abort it?"

 

The words were lost on Spock however as he tried to process this information.  Through no fault of his own, he was carrying a deceased officer's child and was now facing the threat of having to leave the Enterprise for the time being, a thought that was completely unacceptable to him.  And who was he to be raising a child?  He had never been a natural with children as it was; even the sound of one's cries seemed to repeal him.  Yet looking at the image on the screen of the being growing inside him, visions of the young Elizabet flashed through his mind and he knew at once the decision that needed to be made.

"Forgive me for saying so," he said suddenly.  "But I believe I have every right of a say in this decision as well and I will not allow the only offspring of Ms. Weyer to be disposed of.  I will carry the pregnancy to term and once the child is born, will likely entrust it to the care of either my parents or her family while I continue the mission onboard the Enterprise."

"Spock," McCoy asked. "Are you sure?"

"It seems to me to be the most logical solution to this situation."

"Well..." said Kirk. "I believe that settles that."

"In that case," Dr. McCoy said, crossing his arms.  "I want to start you on a medical regimen to counteract the side effects of your pregnancy, namely the nausea and fatigue.  I also want you on a prenatal treatment effective immediately and in here every four weeks for routine examinations which will become more frequent if needed."

 

"Dr. McCoy," Makeda spoke up suddenly. "If I could make a request; with yours and Mr. Spock's permission, I'd like to be put in charge of following Mr. Spock's pregnancy."

"Ms. Ryen, that's very noble of you but..."

"Please Dr McCoy," she insisted. "You may be an expert on general medicine, but my area of expertise was obstetrics, particularly male pregnancies. I am also part Betazoid and am able to use my telepathic abilities to my advantage, bringing something extra to the table that you simply, being human, cannot."

Eyeing the young woman up and down, he finally let out a long breath of agreement.  "Alright. I don't see the harm. As long as Mr. Spock is agreeable to it."

All eyes turned to him.  "Well Mr. Spock?" Kirk asked.

"I have no objection to her request." he said simply.

 

And that was that.


	3. The Outburst

 

Spock was angry.

Not just angry, but fuming.

 

It had been almost 3 months since the surprising diagnosis that he was carrying the deceased Officer Weyer's child and despite his best efforts to keep it to himself as long as possible, he'd finally reached a point where there was no denying it any longer.

It had started simply enough that morning.  In dressing for his duties, as he pulled on his shirt, he came to the realization that it was now too small to conceal his current condition any longer.  He frowned slightly at the feeling of the fabric beginning to stretch across his skin and glanced at himself in all directions.  It wasn't too bad yet.  Looked more like he had just put some weight around his mid-section than showing signs of pregancy but until he could have some larger uniforms delivered, it would have to do.  

Stepping out into the corridor however, he instantly felt the eyes of his crew mates on him as he made his way to the bridge.  Crew members who had hardly even glanced at him now seemed to go out of their way to speak to him and offer their congratulations, each one casting a brief glance at his growing stomach before turning their attention to him.  Surely McCoy and Dr. Ryen hadn't spread the word about his condition due to patient confidentiality but the captain...  Kirk wasn't under that same restriction.

_**Damn it...** _

Still, he knew that he wouldn't have been able to hide his condition forever and did his best to accept their more than prying inquiries about his current condition with an air of grace while wishing everyone would just disappear.

 

Being on the bridge hadn't been any better though.  Both Lt. Uhura and Sulu had offered their chairs to him when he had come on the bridge to which he respectively declined and firmly reminded them that he was not an invalid, only pregnant. He did his best to ignore the shared look between the two of them that screamed _'Hormones...'_ and took to his post where during the process of the morning, he was corrected on two equations _(When did that happen?!)_ and nearly snapped at Chekov for suggesting that maybe he get some rest.

But this... This was too much...

 

When Jim came across Spock around lunchtime, in front of the Vulcan sat an uneaten bowl of Plomeek soup, one of his favorite meals.  Sliding into the chair next to him, Kirk watched the Vulcan absentmindedly stirred the broth in circles.

"How's it going Spock?" He asked to which Spock kept stirring in the bowl, never as much as looked up to acknowledge his presence.

"Soup any good?" He tried again. "Hope you're not still dealing with that morning sickness..."

Still no real response other than a small shake of the head though he did notice Spock's grip tighten slightly on the spoon.

"So how about that run-in with the Klingons this morning?" He changed the subject, desperate to get some kind of response out of him to break the uncomfortable silence. "Talk about stress, huh?"

Suddenly, Spock brought his spoon down hard on the table.  "Stress?  You want to talk about things being stressful?" Spock said as he looked up at Jim with clenched fists and furrowed eyebrows.

Kirk said nothing, suddenly realizing that he had pushed the wrong button and that nothing he could reply would be correct.

 He got to his feet and spoke with a tone that put Jim in mind of the lectures his mother would give him when he was growing up.

"Let me tell you something about things being stressful Jim...  Stressful is waking up one morning and realizing your clothes no longer fit.  Stressful is trying to ignore the stares of meddling crew members at your condition.  Stressful is everyone treating you like you're made of glass when all you're doing is carrying another life-form.  And stressful is when said life-form keeps you from enjoying your favorite meal because it demands something else which you find utterly repulsive!  So until you've experienced what I'm currently contending with James Kirk, you have no idea of the true meaning of stress!!"

 

By this point, half of the room was beginning to stare at Spock's sudden outburst and feeling the eyes of everyone on him, quickly sat down and looked at Kirk apologetically.

"I'm sorry Captain.  I didn't mean to lose control of my emotions like that." He said after a moment.  "This is not your fault and I should not have treated you as if it was."

"It's alright Mr. Spock." He shrugged. "They actually say that that's a very...'human' reaction to this kind of thing."

"Do you consider it wise to insult me when I am already emotionally compromised Captain?" The look Spock was giving him seemed to bore holes in his head.

"Point taken.  I apologize."

"Thank you." Spock nodded before letting out a sigh as he crossed his arms.  "This is not what I was expecting when I agreed to carry this pregnancy captain.  Why any woman would ever willingly choose to do this is beyond me…" he started, his voice trailing off as a new sensation ran through him; a strange feeling, almost like something bubbling inside him. Things had been mostly silent since the morning sickness passed, but this was unlike anything he ever felt before. His hands rushed to his stomach in concern as he felt it happen again and his mind raced to think of a logical explanation. From what he could discern, he wasn't in pain, but he could sense now that something was different.

And it scared him to death.

“Jim?” he said quietly, unsure if he was possibly jumping ahead of himself. But as the sensation happened again, stronger this time, panic set in his heart.

“Spock? Spock, are you alright?"

 

“I...I think I may be losing the baby...”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger!! Sorry, I couldn't help myself... ;)
> 
> I do apologize for the wait for this chapter and how short it was, but I'm pleased to say that this was the only chapter that didn't have anything done on it when I originally posted the first chapter. The next three chapters are already partially if not mostly complete (and I may have plans for an epilogue if there's enough people who want it.)
> 
> Thanks to everyone who's been leaving kudos and comments! You're all awesome!!


	4. The Realization

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry this took so long to get up... I've had alot going on lately... But it's a longer chapter so yay!
> 
> I'm also excited to finally get into a little more of Dr. Makeda Ryen's character since she's only been briefly mentioned so far.
> 
> A little bit of drama at the beginning of this chapter but the rest is pretty much full out fluff. ;)
> 
> Thanks so much to everyone who's left kudos and commented so far! You're what keeps me writing! So I'm pleased to announce that because of your support, there definitely will be an epilogue to this story as well!
> 
> Enjoy!!

 "Jim, you've got to wait outside.  We don't know what we're getting ourselves into but if he needs emergency surgery then you're only gonna be in the way."

 Listening to Bones argue with Jim, Spock swallowed hard as Dr. Ryen helped him onto a bed before starting a scan with a medical tricorder as everything was happening in such a rush and leaving him absolutely terrified.  Hearing the mention of possible surgery however, finally pushed him over the edge as the tears had been threatening to come since that first sensation began streaming down his face.

“It's all my fault.” he choked out. “I shouldn't have lost control of my emotions like that...She's dying and it's all my fault...”

“Hey, you don't know that.” Dr. Ryen said softly as she wiped the tears from his cheeks. “Let's wait for some definite results before we do something rash. Just try to calm down Spock.  Everything's going to be alright...”

Taking her hand, his eyes were nearly pleading.  "Just save her please..." 

"I'll do the best I can."

"No." He squeezed tighter.  "Promise me..."

The flood of emotions that came through his touch in that instant nearly knocked her off her feet; uncertainty, fear, anxiety...  Surprised at this sudden intensity from a man whom she had never seen such emotion from, she nodded.  

"I promise..."

 

A few moments later, Dr. McCoy returned, the sweat already beginning on his brow as he turned to Nurse Chapel.

"Nurse, be on standby for an emergency c-section..."

At the sound of surgery, Spock gave an involuntary sob which prompted Dr. Ryen to speak up.

"Dr. McCoy, wait!  Let me try something first."

"We might not have that kind of time!"

"Please...trust me." She firmly insisted.  "If the child is truly in distress, I can have it out in sixty seconds if necessary.  But I don't feel right taking such evasive action without being completely sure."

After a long moment, he nodded.  "Okay.  Go for it.  But if you find something wrong, we're bringing him to surgery. No questions asked."

"Duly noted." she nodded before turning her attention to the Vulcan.

"Alright Spock.  Just try to relax and stay as still as possible."  Closing her eyes, she almost seemed to settle into a trance as her breathing became long and deep.

 Dr. McCoy dared to get closer.  "What are you doing?"

 "Concentrating." She said quietly as her hands began to ghost over his rounded stomach.  "I'm going to try to get a read on the child and see what it can tell me about it condition."

 

Moving past Spock's emotions of fear, after a few moments of searching, she managed to make a connection with the fetus growing inside him and attempted to read its thoughts and feelings; but as she searched, what came through surprised her.  There was no feelings of pain, no distress, rather active at the moment but she quickly decided that it was from the effects of Spock's racing heart.

"The baby seems completely fine." She said after a moment.  "Amniotic fluid is still intact and at normal levels, didn't sense any sign of a contraction..."  Breaking out the trance, she turned to McCoy.  "Let's get a medical scan to be sure."

As the device began to scan, all Spock could do was nervously wait and prayed. Seconds seemed like days as the medical scanner kept searching for any sign from the life inside him. By all that was holy, he didn't want to lose this baby. That sudden realization surprised him. Just hours before, he would have been willing to do almost anything to hand it off to someone else. Now, he couldn't imagine letting it go, especially not like this...

And then...a pulsing from the scanner.

“What's that sound?” he asked as the group quieted down to listen.

And then he finally realized what it was.

A heartbeat.  There was a heartbeat.

“It's alive...” he breathed through the sudden rush of new tears at Dr. Ryen's smiling face.

“See...” she beamed as placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I told you everything was going to be okay.”

He nodded as he let out a breath of relief. The child was still alive. He hadn't failed.

 

“But that bubbling… Something must be going on.”

"Wait." She stopped suddenly.  "You said 'bubbling'...  Can you describe what you've been feeling Mr. Spock?"

He started to speak but then had to stop for a moment.  How would he even describe such a thing?  He tried to think back to that moment with the captain when it first happened.

"Well it was a...  well, not exactly... It's hard to explain...  Sort of a tapping....twitching...almost like fluttering."

And then the realization of what he was describing hit her. And to his surprise, she started to chuckle.

“Dr. Ryen, I fail to see what is so funny about mine and my child's current condition...”  Spock said shortly, wondering if Ms. Ryen had possibly gone completely mad.

“I'm so sorry." She apologized, still chuckling to herself.  "I'm just such an idiot... I forgot you're in your 20th week of pregnancy. There's nothing wrong Mr. Spock. It's moving...”

 

"Moving?" Gently, he brought his brought his hand to rest on the small bulge of his stomach as the being inside him moved again, still too small to be felt from the outside but now unmistakable.  The idea was still so foreign that something was there inside him, yet there it was; growing, changing, and thriving. And for the first time since he had found out about this being growing inside him, maybe this person wouldn't be as much of the burden that he had initially thought it to be.

"Dr. McCoy, would you mind giving the two of us a moment alone please? I think I can handle things from here." Dr. Ryen said quietly.

Realizing what she was planning, he nodded. "I can go give Jim an update.  Just call me if you need me.  Maybe you can get through that thick Vulcan skull better than I could..." he muttered before closing the door behind him.

 

Finally alone, she turned to the Vulcan lying on the exam table.  "Mr. Spock, what happened back there?"

"I beg your pardon? I believe my reaction was..."

"That's not what I meant." She interrupted.  "When you took my hand...  I've never felt that kind of fear out of you before."

He tried to come back with a retort but he knew she was right.  For the first time in a long time, he had to admit to himself that he had been well and truly afraid. 

"You must think I'm crazy..." he sighed.

"Not at all.  In fact, I'm rather relieved."

Confused, his eyes followed her across the room as she came to sit down next to him.

 

"Mr. Spock," she continued. "I've treated several expectant parents over my career, both male and female.  But I've never treated anyone quite like you.  You're the only one I've ever come across who has treated their pregnancy as no more than a host situation.   You come in just long enough for me to take a medical scan and then you're gone before I can go over any results with you.  These past few months, you've been so indifferent towards this baby that I was beginning to question your decision of keeping the child at all. But now..."

She started to say something else but thought better of it, opting instead to tell him the honest truth.  Letting out a long breath, she crossed her arms as she stared at him.

"You seem so determined to push everyone away, trying to stay wrapped in your own world. But now you've come across someone that you can't push away this time.  This isn't a parasite Mr. Spock.  It's a child...  Your child.  And I think this experience proves that maybe you can't face this logically."

"I don't understand."

She covered his hand with hers.  "What is your heart telling you to do Spock?"

 

Things had seemed so simple up until this point.  He had planned a logical course of action as to the child and how he'd handle the pregnancy.  He had never considered the possibility that he may actually become attached to the child.  There was too much to lose with choosing to keep it; his career onboard the Enterprise as far as he could tell would be over, something he'd worked for several years for.  But as the constant pulse of the fetus' heartbeat continued in the background, he knew that she was right.  He was attached by the heartstrings and there was no chance of those breaking now.

"I-I don't think I could let her go..." he said finally.

"No one would make you." she smiled softly.

"But the Enterprise..." he started.  "They'd never let me..."

"I'll speak to the captain and Dr. McCoy about it.   According to everything I've seen so far, you and baby are both in good health; I don't see why you couldn't continue with your duties until delivery if that's what you really want."

"Thank you Dr. Ryen.  I don't know what to say..."

"How about just calling me Makeda?" She smiled.  "I think we've known each other long enough that you wouldn't need to be so formal with me."

"Of course...Makeda."

 

Giving her hand a gentle squeeze, the young doctor felt her heart involuntarily skip a beat.  This Spock was so different from the cold Vulcan that she'd met only three months earlier.  And as a rush of new feelings came through the connection; affection, tenderness, warmth, she found herself suddenly getting lost in the dark eyes that seemed to be looking at her in a whole new light.

"Yes well..." she said quickly, suddenly embarrassed as she took her hands away.  "You're due for your next follow up.  If you don't mind, I'd like go ahead and take a closer look at the medical scan while you're here just to make sure that everything's progressing normally.  From what I could tell earlier, the child seems fine.  But I can only read thoughts and feelings, not length and weight.  I'm assuming you'd be willing to stay around a little longer this time?"

"Fair enough." He nodded. Finally calming down, he was starting to register more of the various things going on around him and the instruments giving constant readings of the child inside him.

"The heart rate is rather fast, isn't it?" He noted.

"I think part of that is left over from your earlier rise in nerves.  But you don't need to worry, it's perfectly in a normal range.  Hang on a second, I can give you a closer look."

 

Pressing a few buttons on the control panel, there was a small burst of energy as a 4D scan of the fetus inside him faded into view.  Mystified at the projection in front of him, he reached out a tentative hand only for the image to crackle at his touch.

"Life-like isn't it?" She smiled.  "The technology's still in its testing phases but I've been very pleased with the results so far.  With this instrument, I can get a complete 360 view of the fetus which can let me catch any irregularities fairly early and give the expectant parent or parents the opportunity to get a good look at their child before they're even born."

"It's incredible." he agreed, mystified at the image in front of him.  Still not much bigger than the length of his hand, it was amazing to see how much it had changed from the last time.  No longer the 'tadpole' he remembered from twelve weeks ago; what replaced it was now a tiny human with long fingers and toes, facial features that were already beginning to reflect Elizabet, and at the ears...a tiny point.

"It still too early to tell if the baby will keep those." She grinned as she noticed his gaze.  "We'll know more as we get closer to delivery.  But for now, baby is reading sixty-two percent human, thirty-eight percent vulcan.  Current weight is eleven ounces and is a little over six inches long which is right where we want it to be.  Unfortunately, this little one is keeping its legs crossed so we can't tell if you're correct about being a girl or not.  But then again, there's very few surprises in life isn't there Mr. Spock?"

"No, I suppose not." he said, his eyes fixated on the tiny being as it moved and stretched, even letting out a small chuckle as it sucked on its tiny fist.

“Still hard to believe there's someone actually in there...” he breathed.

"I know. It's amazing, isn't it..." she said softly back.

Even though there was still the slightest bit of hesitance in Spock's mind about this whole thing, he couldn't deny the emotions that were now raging like a supernova through his heart and mind.  Almost as quickly as it began, the exam was over and as Makeda shut down the various instruments, he was almost sad to see the projection of his child disappear from view.

"The morning sickness should be pretty much over by this point," she continued as he helped him to his feet. "So your appetite should be making its way back soon but I'd rather you do small meals for now just in case.  Otherwise, I'm giving you both a clean bill of health.  And feel free to come see me if you have any questions.  You don't have to face this alone Mr. Spock."

"Just 'Spock' please." He replied, the faintest hint of a smile on his face. "You've been kind enough to offer me that privilege. I don't see why I could not extend the same."

"Thank you Spock." she smiled at the sudden informality.

As he walked to the door, he stopped to look back at the young woman.  "Dr. Ry...I mean, Makeda.  Would you permit me to speak with you again before our next exam?"

"Of course.  Like I said, my door's always open if you have any concerns."

"No... I mean in a more...'informal' setting..."

"Oh..." she said, suddenly realizing what he meant.  Her cheeks flushed slightly. "I don't see any reason why not." she smiled.

Spock almost seemed surprised at her response, as if he hadn't entirely expected her to say yes to his request.  "Yes...well...until next time...Makeda."  And with a brief nod, he was gone.

Gazing back at the door, he smiled to himself as he subconsciously brought his hand to rest on his stomach. "What else are you planning on getting me into?" he asked it as he slowly headed back to his quarters, the young doctor's smiling face not far from his thoughts.


	5. The Confession

"Would you please go to sleep? I need to get at least some sleep myself tonight..."  Spock mumbled as the child inside him kicked yet again.  Makeda had said that before long, his child's movements would be unmistakable.  Now he wished it would just be still for once.   
  
Despite this, he lay in bed and reflected in how the past few weeks had actually gone quite smoothly for him.  Now that things had settled down, Spock had taken well to the pregnancy.  Under the watchful eye of Dr. Ryen, things had finally settled down into a somewhat sense of normalcy.  No longer was he treated as if he was made of glass by the rest of the crew and, with the exception of a few stares, had been allowed to continue on with his duties as he'd requested.  Not to mention that the frequent visits with the young doctor had not been unwelcome.  
  
_Makeda..._  
  
He softly smiled as her face flashed into his mind.  True to her word, he was never turned away when he requested to see her and brief visits quickly turned into long discussions on various subjects and meals together during lunch.  In fact, he found himself looking quite forward to these encounters as the friendship seemed to blossom like a beautiful flower.  He was nearly asleep to these thoughts when the child inside him gave another punch, this time to his bladder as he sat up with a groan.  There'd be no sleeping anytime soon...

  
"All right, I'm getting up." He huffed, slowly getting to his feet and, after relieving himself, put on a dressing robe.  Perhaps if he walked around a bit, that would settle the child's constant movements.  Opening the door, he let out a breath of relief as he entered the hallway.  By now, most of the Enterprise had retired to their quarters except for those on the bridge, so it was a refreshing change to be able to walk (or rather, waddle) about in peace.  As he walked, his thoughts drifted back to the child.  At 32 weeks, there was only about two months left to decide what to do next.  He had already agreed to Bones and Makeda's recommendation that he be brought to the planet Vulcan soon for the birth, but then what?  
  
Leaving the child behind wasn't going to be an option.  As much as he was loathe to admit it before, he could not deny how much his feelings had changed towards the life growing inside him.  More than once, the captain had been quick to point out how often Spock would let his hand affectionately rest on the mound of his growing stomach and even he had to admit that he would converse with the child frequently when alone in his quarters.  No, this baby would stay with him.  But where?  Would they stay behind on Vulcan?  There was talk of a starship coming to Starfleet that allowed its crew members to bring their families on board; perhaps a request of a transfer?

 

The sound of soft music however brought his thoughts back to the present.  Despite his better judgment, he allowed himself to be led down a corridor which brought him to a door ajar and, peering inside, found none other than Makeda sitting at her desk, pouring over several medical textbooks and dressed in a simple white dressing robe that gave her quite the regal appearance.   
  
His first thought was to simply knock and request entry, but before he could do so, he stopped short.  This was completely unlike him to do something like this; to request entry into a female officer's quarters this late in the evening.  Something that, had it been anyone else, would have been deemed by him to be 'highly irregular.'  What business would he have here?  Still, as he watched her tuck a stray piece of her short hair behind her ear while humming along to the melody, the idea of leaving seemed...well...illogical.  
  
Subconsciously, his hand came to rest on his stomach.  "So what do we do?" He said to the child inside of him.  "Do we take a chance or do we go back to bed?"

A swift kick to his hand gave him its answer a moment later.  
  
"Right.  We go in." He smirked at the growing bump. "I always knew you were going to get me into some kind of trouble one of these days."  And so, with the insistence of the child inside him spurring him, Spock quietly knocked on the open door.

 

Makeda jumped slightly at the sudden noise, yet quickly relaxed at the sight of the familiar face in the doorway.   
  
"Spock! You startled me. Please come in." She said as she motioned for him to sit in a nearby chair.  
  
"Forgive me, I was walking through the corridors and I noticed your door was open."  
  
"Oh no, that's quite alright. I was just studying.  I hope my music didn't disturb you." She looked at him with a concerned eye. "You're up rather late Spock.  Is something wrong? Are you alright?"  
  
"I can assure you, we're both quite well." He said as managed to sit with some difficulty.  "The child just insists on using my bladder as a punching bag.  I thought if I walked around for a bit, it may lull her to sleep."  
  
Gradually, her features softened as she let out a chuckle. "Of course."  She paused for a moment.  "You've been saying 'she' for the past several weeks now.  We've never done another scan to check for the sex."  
  
"That's correct. Call it 'mother's intuition' I assume."  
  
She smiled.  "Fair enough. I was sure my first child was a girl too."

 

This sudden confession surprised him.  "You never mentioned having any children, Makeda...  You have a child waiting for you back at home?"  
  
"'Had.'" She corrected as she swallowed hard and cleared her throat.  "She was stillborn."  
  
Instantly, he regretted asking in the first place. "My deepest apologies. I didn't mean to pry."  
  
"No, it's alright.  She was the one that actually inspired me to take this field of study. I actually had no intention of ever getting into the medical branch. My dreams were becoming a commander in Starfleet."  
  
Spock thought for a moment of this young woman at the helm of a Starfleet ship.  "What happened?"  
  
"I...made a couple of choices I shouldn't have and ended up finding myself nineteen and pregnant with the father completely out of the picture.  My parents wanted nothing to do with me after they found out about the pregnancy so I dove into preparing for single motherhood. But I lost her at 30 weeks...  After that, I sunk into a deep depression for a while, wondering what I could have done, if I could have changed anything that would have saved her.  Then I realized that even though I couldn't save her, maybe I could make a difference for someone's else's child.  The next month, I began to study for my degree.  Six years later, here I am on the Enterprise."  
  
"Well you're a fine asset to the Enterprise, Makeda.  I'm sure Dr. McCoy is grateful for your help during this situation.  I know I am..."  
  
Makeda turned to look at him, her eyes soft at the sudden praise.  "Thanks.  That means a lot coming from you.  I'm honored that you think so."

 

For a moment, all was silent between the two.  And a new consideration entered his mind.  After the child was born, what of Makeda?  He couldn't ask her to stay behind on Vulcan, nor could he ask her to leave behind a career on the Enterprise for the two of them.  Suddenly the idea of their time together ending made his stomach sink.  But before he could contemplate this further, a solid foot to the ribs caused Spock to let out a groan of pain.  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
"Yes." He winced. "I was just mistaken in assuming she had finally settled for the evening..."  
  
"Ah." She nodded in understanding.  "If I may, I might be able to suggest something that may help."   
  
"At this point, I'd be willing to try anything."  
  
At his response, Makeda rose to her feet.  "Do you dance Spock?"  
  
Only now did he look confused. "No. But I fail to understand your reasoning behind this."  
  
"Here," she smiled as she extended her hands to him. "I'll show you."

 

Cautiously, Spock let her help him to his feet and felt his breath hitch as she placed one of his hands about her shoulder.  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
"Y-yes."  
  
She smiled at the sudden stumble in his words as she placed a gentle touch about his neck. "Good.  Now, just follow my lead."  
  
The movements were simple; nothing overly complicated as they moved together, but eventually, he could tell a difference in the child's movements.  
  
"How did you do that?"  
  
"Little trick I've picked up through the years." She smiled at the sound of his apparent relief. "Just using gravity and your movements to help her to shift into a position that's a little more comfortable for the both of you."  
  
Swaying back and forth, Spock let his eyes close at the gentle motion, the soft warmth of her form, the feeling of her hands draped about his neck.  
  
"Better?"  
  
"Very." He mumbled.  Logic seemed to be screaming at him that this was only the pregnancy talking, surges of hormones that made him desire her contact.  Yet, something was winning out against it. An admiration of her skills, an empathy towards the experiences that brought their paths to cross, a connection with her that was unlike anything he had ever felt before.  And the child growing inside him seemed to sense it too; hard kicks setting into soft rolls with only one emotion radiating from it: contentment.

 

"I had no idea you felt that way..." he heard her say in a whisper, breaking through the moment.  
  
"I'm sorry?"  
  
"I'm part betazoid remember? I can sense your thoughts."  
  
"Oh..." he said, feeling his cheeks go warm at his embarrassment.  
  
"No, it's alright." she said quickly before he had a chance to react.  "Because I feel exactly the same..."

 

"Makeda, I..." he started, but before he could get any further, he suddenly found his lips pressed against hers.  He startled at first at her being so close to him but quickly relaxed as he pulled her as close as his stomach would allow, relishing how wonderful and natural it felt to have her in his arms like this and confirming what he'd known all along.  He loved her; he'd always loved her...  How would he be able to say goodbye now?  Then, as suddenly as it started, she slowly pulled away.   
  
"It's getting late." She said after a moment, clearing her throat.  "You probably need to get some rest while you can."  
  
"Yes... That seems logical..."  He turned to leave but before he could, she had grabbed hold of his hand.  
  
"You-you don't have to leave.  Not unless you want to."  
  
"You want me to stay?  Makeda, in my condition, I'm afraid I can't offer you any kind of..."  
  
"No, you don't have to do anything.  Just stay with me...please.  If it's true that our time together is drawing short, then I want to make it count."  
  
"You know, you really need to stop reading my mind...." he said teasingly.  With a sigh, he brought a gentle hand to her cheek.  "I don't want this time to end.  Truly I don't.  I just don't know..."  
  
"We don't have to know right now." She said as she turned her head to kiss his hand. "We can take it one moment at a time and figure it out as we go along."  
  
"I think I'd like that." He softly smiled as she led him into the next room, the door closing behind them with a soft click.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter wasn't totally up to snuff. In all honesty, I had a lot of trouble writing this chapter due to writer's block and several things going on in my personal life right now. (Not to mention that multi-chapter fics really AREN'T my thing...) But I'm glad I finally finished it and with most of the next chapter already done, hopefully it won't be long before the next update. Plus, the main event is in the next chapter! ;)
> 
> Hope you're enjoying it so far and thanks to all of you for your kudos and comments!


	6. The Arrival

The next few weeks passed rather quickly on board the Enterprise; Spock's child now fully developed and simply putting on as much weight as possible before its arrival.  McCoy had been pleased with the progress made, although the glances between his young charge and the First Officer had not been lost on him or anyone else on the crew for that matter.

By the beginning of his ninth month, Spock was relieved of all of his duties onboard the bridge until after his delivery; a frustrating decision, but one that was made easier by Makeda's frequent visits to his quarters.  And after a few days of rest and struggling to get around, he was suddenly thankful for the provision and the opportunity it afforded him to get to know his child better before she made her appearance.

At the beginning of week 37, plans were already underway to adjust the Enterprise's course toward planet Vulcan to give them time to get there before 'D-day' as Kirk 'affectionately' called it.

 

"Lt. Uhura, what's our estimated arrival time to planet Vulcan?" Kirk asked.

Pressing a few buttons on the control panel, she turned to him.  "Arrival time should be at 1600 hours Captain."

"Good.  Continue on course Mr. Chekov."

He was nearly about to sit in the commander's chair when Makeda burst onto the bridge looking more than a little anxious.

"Dr. Ryen, this is an unexpected surprise." he said but frowned when he noticed her worried expression.

"Captain, have you spoken with Mr. Spock at any point today?" She asked, completely bypassing any kind of introduction.

"I thought he was with you..."

"He was this morning, but he was supposed to meet me at noon and never showed.  The doors to his quarters were locked so I thought he had possibly gone to the bridge."

"No..." He tried to ignore the sudden sinking feeling in his stomach.  "In fact, I haven't seen him all morning."

"Something's not right."  She knew it was a long shot, but silently, she tried to mentally reach out to him.

'Spock... Spock can you hear me?'

For a long moment, there was nothing.  Then, through the silence, a voice finally came; quiet, unmistakable, but filled with pain.

_'T'hy'la...  Help me...'_

"Spock!"

  
At the sound of her outburst, nearly the entire control room turned to look at her.

"Makeda, what did you hear?" Kirk asked quietly, nervous of her reply.

"Spock... He's in pain. Something's wrong..." She whispered, tears already starting to form in her eyes.

"Mr. Sulu, you have the con!" He shouted as he bolted out of the control room, Makeda quickly on his heels.

 

After several tense moments and failed attempts to not alarm as few of the crew as possible, the two of them finally reached their destination in front of Spock's quarters.  Finding the door still locked, Kirk knocked on the door.  "Spock! Spock, are you in there?"

As Makeda pressed her ear to the door, she couldn't hear anything indicating that he was inside.  And then, a low moan.

"That's him! We've got to get inside!"

Overriding the lock on the door, the two of them quickly burst into the room to find him lying on the floor, his regular uniform having been exchanged for a night tunic as he curled tighter in on himself to escape the pain.  In moments, the two of them were by his side.

"Spock!" Kirk said, taking Spock's hand in his. "Come on Spock. Talk to me. What's going on?"

Makeda' s hand however went to the swell of his stomach, trying to sense the child inside him.  Breaking through Spock's thoughts of pain and fear, she could finally hear it: _**cramped, scared, tight, out, out, out...**_   And judging by the intensity in Spock's gaze, he could sense the child's thoughts as well.

 

 

"He's in active labor, somewhere around transition." She said quickly.  "Looks like we're not going to make it to Vulcan... We need to get him up and bring him to sickbay as soon as possible. Captain, you take one arm and I'll take the other one. We'll carry him there."

"Right..."

However, they had hardly gotten him to his feet when Spock suddenly let out a roar of pain with a new contraction, bringing the three of them down to the floor.  Looking down, a large pool of water began to form at their feet.

"It's coming..." he managed to let out with a moan.

"Strike that.  He's too far gone.  We'll have to do it here. Help me get him on to the bed."

"What?! We can't! Surely we can get him to McCoy in time." Kirk protested before she turned to him with a look of pure annoyance.

"Forgive my impertinence sir, but I've delivered 532 babies in my career so far and this will be my 533rd.  I think it's safe to say that I know what I'm talking about.  You can try for McCoy if you want but I promise you, he won't make it in time and your friend needs you. Now are you just going to stand there or are you going to help me?!"

Had he not been in such pain, Spock would have smirked at the commander-like presence that had come out in her.  Her outburst had surprised Kirk into silence as well and after a moment, he gave a quick nod.

"Alright.  What do you want me to do?"

She nodded.  "Help me get him up onto the bed and I want you behind him so he can lean against you between contractions.  Just support him in anyway you know how."

 

After a few tense moments waiting for the current contraction to end, the two of them managed to somehow get Spock onto his bed and once she was satisfied that he was safe in the captain's hands, hurried to get some blankets and towels from the other room.

Feeling Spock take an iron grip to his hands, Kirk looked down at the Vulcan struggling to stay calm in his arms.  "Jim... It hurts..." Spock groaned through grit teeth.

Kirk swallowed hard.  Having known Spock for several years, it unnerved him to see his best friend so unlike himself.

"Don't worry Spock. Just try to relax..." he mumbled, wishing he had something better to say.

"It's too soon.  She's coming too soon..."

"Well thankfully you've got one of the best midwives in Starfleet here to take care of the two of you right?"

Spock didn't seem to hear him however as he writhed in his arms in pain with the next contraction.  "It's coming.  Can't...stop..." he growled before giving in to the urge to push before Jim could say otherwise.

"Wait Spock!  You can't... Dr. Ryen!" He shouted for the doctor, hoping that she could get Spock to stop before he caused any kind of damage to his internal organs. But as she hurried back into the room, instead of stopping him, she quickly took a position at his feet. "That's it Spock.  Keep on going just like that." she said, helping him to shift his legs further apart.

Her response made his eyes widen in disbelief as Spock took a breath and pushed again, squeezing the life out of his hands as his face flushed green from the effort.  Spock was definitely a male; surely he wasn't about to do what he thought he was.  And yet, as the contraction ended and Spock slowly let himself relax against him, there was a sudden sinking feeling that it was true. 

"I know Vulcan bodies are built differently that humans." Kirk started.  "But Spock doesn't have the necessary..." He paused, clearly embarrassed for having to say it. "...'plumbing' for this kind of thing."

"Not necessarily." She said, taking opportunity of the break between contractions to set up a few towels next to her so they'd be ready when needed.  "With Celeodion pregnancies, when the expectant parent gets close to the time of delivery, its body will actually temporarily change to make the necessary accommodations for a natural labor and delivery."

"You mean, Spock's body has..."

She nodded to keep him from having to say it.  "About a week ago.  Why do you think we were so insistent on heading to Vulcan?"

"Oh god..." he blanched, the color quickly draining from his face.

"Stay with me Jim. I haven't had anyone pass out on me yet and I'm not about to start today." She grinned before turning her attention back to Spock.

"Alright, you're doing just fine. For this next contraction, I want you to hold on to the back of your legs and pull yourself forward; that's going to help make your pushing more effective. Jim, I want to keep leaning him forward with each push.  He's going to need all the leverage he can get."

Several deep breaths from Spock signaled the start of the next contraction and as he pushed, the world seemed to shrink around him; Makeda's voice encouraging him to keep going and Kirk's hand in his as he struggled to stay on top of the waves of pain coming at him from all sides.

"Seems like someone's impatient to get here.  I told you we wouldn't make it to McCoy in time." she smiled at his progress as he stopped for a breath. "Ease up a bit Spock.  Head's starting to crown."

Kirk, meanwhile, had spent most of this time in silence; not wanting to intrude on such a intimate moment, but at the sound of this, temptation had finally won out and he stretched to try to catch a look at this being that was about to make its appearance.

"Oh my god..." he breathed.

"What wrong?" Spock managed to ask between pants.

"I-I can see its head."

"Really?" he asked as he tried to look himself but found he could hardly see anything beyond his mound of a belly.

Makeda smiled.  "She's already got a mess of dark hair."

"Well that would surely be the most likely possibility considering her genetics..."

Kirk suppressed a chuckle at his response. "Spock, you are the only one I can think of who would tackle childbirth logically..."

 

Spock smiled slightly at his comment before it shifted into a grimace.  "It's starting..." he managed before curling around his stomach as he pushed again, letting out a shout as muscles were stretched to their widest point.  Somewhere past the sound of the blood roaring in his ears, he heard Makeda and Kirk telling him to stop pushing as the pressure suddenly released itself, leaving him gasping for breath.

"Head's out." She beamed as she grabbed one of the towels to clean off some of the surrounding area.  "Just take deep breaths Spock.  Nice and easy."

"I-Is she alright?"

"She's perfectly fine." She said as she checked for a cord and satisfied herself that there was none.  "She's just waiting for the next one.  I will say this much, she may be mostly human but your Vulcan genetics must be very dominant.  She's even got your ears."

Gently, he brought his hand to rest on his stomach, noting how much flatter it had already become.  He attempted to mentally connect with the child's thoughts as he had for the past few months and felt his heart tighten when there was nothing to be found. 

"I can't sense her anymore..." he mumbled, the slightest pang of sadness to his voice.

Knowing what would help, she gently took his hand and, guiding it around his stomach, brought it to rest on the top of of the child's head; Spock letting out a breath as he tried to blink away the sudden rush of tears at the sensation.  This was happening... This was really happening. All the weeks of waiting, the discomfort, the fear, the emotions; everything had been leading up to this moment.  Except now it was no longer a heartbeat or an image on a holographic sonogram.  This was something he could feel, could actually touch.  And as the connections between father and child were growing stronger, there was a new emotion running through him.  A desire to protect this child on the cusp of being born and, as he could sense the feelings of curiosity and anxiousness radiating from within it, a need to comfort.

"Do not worry little one, I am here." He whispered, the start of a smile as a gentle tear rolled down his face.  "T'nash-veh kan...  T'nash-veh taluhk kan..."

The sound of Spock speaking another language caught Jim off-guard.  Spock hardly ever spoke in his native tongue, opting instead for English.  But when he caught sight of Makeda wiping her eyes as well, his curiosity peaked.

"What is he saying?" Jim asked, noting the tears in the doctor's eyes.

"It's Vulcan." She sniffed, confirming his suspicions. "Basically it translates to 'my precious child...'"

The moment was short-lived however as she felt him tense again, signaling the start of another contraction.

"Don't fight against it Spock.  Deep breath, chin to your chest and push." she instructed as he quickly followed suit, letting out a gasp of pain at the feeling of shoulders.

"She's too big..."

"No she's not.  She's coming but you've got to keep going.  Just give us another push." She said, grabbing another towel to help support the emerging babe but he only lasted a few moments before collapsing against Jim, exhausted and his chest heaving with each breath.

"No more..." he moaned, tossing his head back and forth in a frugal attempt to escape the pain.

"You've already got one shoulder out Spock.  We just need one more push and that's it."

"I can't..."

"Yes you can Spock."  Jim said suddenly.  "You've made it through much worse than this and I've never known you to be a quitter.  You're not starting now.  Come on Spock.  Do it for her!"

With a nod of determination, Spock managed to find a strength that he never realized he had as with a final shove, the growing pressure gave way to a sweet relief as the newborn finally slid free of its first home and was quickly placed on his stomach for him to hold as it let out a loud cry.  And as Spock stared in silence at the squalling newborn with the almond eyes and dark hair of her mother and the pointed ears of her father, the only words he deemed logical at that moment were "She's perfect..." even though he knew there was no such thing as perfection in a newborn.

"Well of course she's perfect. She's yours." Makeda grinned as she vigorously began rubbing the infant with another towel to stimulate her until she turned a healthy shade of pink. 

"Spock, you were absolutely amazing." Jim smiled as he clasped his shoulder.

"I have done nothing greater than the average female would have in the same situation...  But all the same, I do appreciate the compliment."

Kirk rolled his eyes and started to say something else but stopped as he saw the Vulcan staring at the new life lying on his chest.  There was something different about him now; a softness that he had never seen in his first officer before.  And as he watched the interactions between the two of them as she would respond to the soft tones of his voice, he could almost swear that Spock was absolutely beaming with pride and shook his head with a chuckle.  Minutes old and she was already bringing out the best in him...

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Makeda said regretfully after a moment, a pair of surgical scissors in her hand.  "But we need to go ahead and cut the cord before we proceed any further."  She held the scissors out to Spock.  "Would you like to do the honors?"

"Actually, I'd prefer that honor be given to Jim." He replied, leaving the Captain completely floored.

"R-Really?  Are you sure Spock?"

"Indeed." he nodded.  "In lieu of her mother not being here, it's only logical that her godfather should have that honor."

"Godfather?"  At the sound of that, even Jim had to admit there were tears in his eyes.  "Yeah... With pleasure." he sniffed as he took the scissors from her and with a few snips, severed the final ties between father and daughter. 

Leaving the two of them alone for a few moments to bond before handing the rest of the delivery, Makeda decided to instead take a moment to inform Dr. McCoy of the latest arrival and pressed a button on the communicator panel.

"Ryen to McCoy."

**"Go ahead Dr. Ryen."** His voice came over a moment later and sounding more than a little frazzled as the sound of shuffling paper came through the speaker.

"You might want to get down her as soon as possible Dr. McCoy." she grinned.  "The newest member of the Enterprise decided to make her appearance about five minutes ago."

For a moment, all was quiet until the sound of papers hitting the floor was heard followed by a **"Damn it Spock!"** and fading footsteps which left the room's occupants more than a little amused at his reaction.

* * *

  
A little later, after both Spock and the newly named Seleia Ryen Weyer had been given a clean bill of health and things had finally begun to settle down again on board the Enterprise, Kirk came across Makeda in the dining hall taking a quiet moment for herself while sipping on a glass of white wine.

"Dr. Ryen, I didn't know you drank."

"I typically don't Captain.  But considering this is a very special occasion, I thought a celebratory glass was called for.  Care to join me?" She smiled as she nodded towards the bottle on the table.

"Don't mind if I do." He grinned before grabbing a glass and pouring some for himself.

"To First Officer Spock." He said as he raised his glass.  "For being more of a man than I ever imagined he was."

"I'll drink to that." She smiled before taking another sip. 

"We should be to Vulcan in the next few hours."

"That's good.  I'd really like to get him and the baby on solid ground as soon as possible.  On that note, I'd like to request permission to stay with the two of them for a few days.  Just to make sure they're settled and things like that."

_'Things like that, huh?'_ Jim thought to himself with a smirk.  "I don't see any reason why not Dr. Ryen.  I'm sure McCoy can keep everything under control in your absence.  Does Spock have a plan for the next few months in place?"

"Only that he's planning on staying on Vulcan for a few months.  But beyond that, I'm not sure."

"Well then, I have a piece of information that I'd like to pass by you.  This past week, I've been in contact with another captain from Starfleet; Capt. Nathaniel Beckett."

"Concerning?"

"For Spock to be accommodated to continue in Starfleet despite the change in his present circumstances and Captain Beckett has made a generous offer.  A new ship, the USS Paladin will be launched in the next six months that he will be commanding; one that will allow members of its crew to bring along their spouses and families on a ten year mission.  And he has agreed, on my recommendation, to allow Spock and his daughter to join the Paladin's crew as soon as he feels ready."

"Oh..."  The news cut straight to her heart.  This was exactly what Spock had hoped for, short of being able to stay on the Enterprise.  But it would also mean that they would be separated for at least the next ten years and who knew what the future would hold for the two of them from there?  It was almost too much to take in.  "That...that's wonderful...  I'm sure he'll be pleased." she said quietly, trying her best to hide her disappointment.

"I'd like to think so.  Especially once he finds out that it includes a letter of recommendation that you join him."

She nearly choked on her next sip.  "Really?!"

He grinned as he calmly took another swallow of wine.  "Well, with the families of several species living on the same ship for at least the next ten years, it's likely that there will be more than a few children born on-board during that time period.  I assured Capt. Beckett that you were more than capable of the job and that someone with your expertise would be invaluable to them.  And with all due respect to Mr. Spock, he's never had much of a way with children and is going to need more help than he realizes."

Jim's revelation had left her completely speechless.  "I-I don't know what to say.  Have you told him?"

"Not yet. I figured you'd want to do that."

"Jim, I...thank you..." And without a second thought, wrapped her arms about the captain's neck in an embrace as his thoughts flooded into her mind.  In that moment, she could see everything; all that the two men had gone through together through their time on-board the Enterprise, the highs, the lows, and how dearly of a friend he viewed the First Officer.  And how much it pained him to let him go even though he knew it would be for the best...

Kirk was the one to finally break the embrace.  "He told me you do that sometimes."

"Oh." she said, knowing that he'd realized she had read his thoughts.  "Sorry.  I didn't mean to.  I just forget sometimes...  Something you didn't want me to see?"

He shook his head.  "Nah. I've got nothing to hide when it comes to Mr. Spock...  Go on; he's waiting for you."  he said quietly after a moment, his voice betraying his emotions.  Nodding her agreement, she made her way towards the door, but not before stopping once last time.

"Jim?"

"Yeah?"

"I'll take good care of them.  I promise."

"I know you will." He softly smiled before she stepped out of the room and headed to what she knew would promise to be the first day of the rest of their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AUTHOR'S NOTE: So for those of you who have been following this story (You guys are AWESOME!!) I'm sorry to say that I don't have anything else written for this story as of yet... But I'm happy to say that there WILL be an epilogue!! I just don't know when it'll be done and I'm seriously itching to get back to writing more Sherlock mpreg for a bit.
> 
> (Pregnant Sherlock is life!)
> 
> But all the same, thanks for the kudos and the comments; I read every single one and it's your interest that keeps me going. Seriously, I think this is the longest fic I've ever written and this chapter alone is longer than most of my one-shots...
> 
> But keep on sending in those comments and kudos and thanks for all your support!
> 
> P.S.: I'm not totally sure that the Vulcan translation in this chapter was correct (I just used an online English/Vulcan translator) so if it's wrong, let me know and I'll fix it asap. ;)


	7. The Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally the end! I do apologize for the length of this chapter and how long it took for me to post but I'm so ready to move on to other projects.
> 
> Thanks so much to everyone who read, who left comments or kudos! You are awesome people!
> 
> Hope you enjoy my little epilogue!

Hurrying to Sickbay, the scenarios of what was happening ran through his mind. Having his daughter come to visit him on the bridge was hardly out of the ordinary; having Seleia coming to him in tears and saying that 'something was wrong with mummy...'

A bit more concerning.

As the doors opened and he entered the room, the lump caught in his throat at the sight of his wife lying there as several instruments kept track of her vitals. In only a few strides, he was at her bedside, cradling her hand in his.

At the feeling of movement, Makeda's eyes slowly opened as she turned her head to look at him.

"Spock? What are you doing here?"

His hand squeezed hers tighter. "T'hy'la... Are you alright?"

"Of course I am." She turned to the nurse nearest to her, a middle aged Talaxian. "Lelatex, I told you not to call him for this..."

"Well, he IS the commander and your husband." She chided gently, a warm smile reaching her eyes. "He was bound to find out about it eventually. Besides, I'm not the one who told him. Your daughter did."

Her face dropped at the mention of her daughter's name. "Oh god, she must be worried sick... Is she alright?"

"A little upset but she'll be fine." Spock said quickly, anxious to find an answer to his questions. "What happened?"

"It's nothing."

"Nothing?" Lelatex spoke up. "You passed out between patients and gave yourself a slight concussion. Exactly how is that nothing?"

"That's not helping..."

"She's had a concussion?" Spock's normally calm tone now took on a slight air of panic.

"I'm fine; I promise."

But Makeda's words were lost on him as the scenarios ran through his head. His attention then turned to the Talaxian nurse. "Have any tests been run on her yet? She needs to be cleared of any internal bleeding or bruising on her brain. I would also insist that she be checked for..."

"Spock, would you calm down?" Makeda interrupted as she sat up in bed, her expression one of pure annoyance. "I know exactly what my condition is and within a few months, I'll be back to my old self."

"A few months? And what condition takes months to get over?"

"The kind that typically takes nine months."

 

The look on Spock's face as the penny dropped was nothing short of priceless.

"Y-You're pregnant?"

As she nodded, confirming his suspicions, Lelatex decided it would be a good moment to take her leave. "I'll give you two a few minutes." She said with a nod before leaving the room.

Once the door shut, Spock's attention turned back to his wife. "How long have you known?"

"I've been suspecting it for a while but I only took the test this morning. I had plans to surprise you tonight but someone else decided you needed to know now." Taking his hand, she brought it to rest against her stomach where his eyebrows raised at the slightest swell of a bump.

"Can you sense it yet?" He asked, his voice quiet.

"I'm only about seven weeks, so it's still a little too small for that. But it shouldn't be much longer before I can." A long moment passed between the two of them, each weighing the gravity of what was happening in both of their lives.

"Are you happy Spock?"

He looked at her with the slightest bit of surprise. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, we weren't exactly planning this... This really isn't the best time for this to happen."

"On the contrary, this is the ideal time for us to expand our family. I've settled into my role as Captain and with Seleia being nearly six, she would be a great asset with a new child."

As Spock went through all the facts of why they were perfectly ready for more children, Makeda couldn't help but chuckle.

"You can't just stand it can you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You can't seem to experience anything in your life without placing a factual reason behind it."

"Well, what would you like then?"

"Without being logical for once in your life, give me a good reason why we're ready to have another child."

Thinking for a moment, he shook his head. "I'm afraid that would be impossible."

"Oh?" She raised her eyebrows in amusement. "And why is that?"

"Because T'hy'la," he said gently, his hand coming to rest on the small bulge that was their unborn child. "I can think of no better or more natural proclamation of our love for one another than to have this child with you. What else could it be but logical?"

At his reply, her eyes slowly filled with tears as she pulled him into an embrace.

"I believe I've said the right thing then?" he asked.

"It was perfect..." she sniffed before adding "Damn these hormones..." under her breath to Spock's amusement.

"I have thought of one more benefit my dear." he said as she pulled away from the embrace to wipe her eyes.

"And what's that?"

"You have the rare opportunity to experience pregnancy with a husband who can honestly say that he knows EXACTLY what you're going through."

 

-The End-


End file.
